Shipping update
about 2 years ago – Mon, Mar 21, 2022 at 07:26:20 PM

Two pieces of news, one good, one not so much.

The UK delivery was picked up on schedule this past Friday, and I got an email just this morning pertaining to import: They wanted my EORI (which I thought I'd provided like 10 times so far, but whatever...easy to send again) which is basically a European operating number, and if you knock the last three digits off, it's my UK VAT registration. Books are zero-rated in the UK, so this is all pro-forma stuff. I literally just got a C88 form in the mail...which is utterly incomprehensible and why one uses freight experts for freight stuff. In any case, at least there's communication going back and forth!

I can also report that the "not books" materials should be at ShipQuest as well. So as soon as the books arrive, international fulfillment should commence. 

The not so good news is that the bulk of the order is still sitting in Latvia, and has been ready for export for 10 days. All the expletives in the last sentence are silent, you see.

I am trying to do the things that my freight "partners" are requesting, but they are proving to be a real challenge from an internal processes perspective. Worst case I fire them, and find a new partner. We'll see. I'm exploring every option at the moment (and letting them know, again literally just now, that I'm about to tell them to walk has spurred alacrity, as well it should).

I hope to get some better news on the bulk shipment soon.

Advance Copies Arrive in USA!!
about 2 years ago – Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 02:40:33 AM

They're HERE!

Six copies. Two have already gone to my children, because that's how I roll. They get the first two, I get the third. 

It's pretty.

It comes in at 996g.

It's thicker than the Monster Manual because I used much heavier paper and cover stock; they of course have 352 pages to our 192. But our pages are thicker. ;-)

I've given the "all-clear" for shipments to all destinations. They're actually going by TRUCK to the UK, which...of course they are. I didn't think about the Chunnel.

And as soon as the freight guys get on it, they'll be on their way to Baltimore as well.

So...the most important part, the hardbacks themselves, turned out really well. (or at least six of them did)

Bestiary PDF likely to go on sale on my webstore shortly
about 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 12, 2022 at 02:45:23 PM

I was thinking about this yesterday, and I think I'm going to put up the Bestiary PDF up for sale on my website shortly (maybe even yet today), and then Warehouse 23 and DriveThru shortly thereafter.

I won't list the physical book for sale until all the US books are in the mail.

Books are Coming Off the Presses!
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 09, 2022 at 11:26:48 PM

I should hold the physical copies (the advanced ones, not the bulk shipment) in five days. I'll post an unboxing then too, but this is pretty exciting.

Gaming Ballistic Weekly Update for March 6
about 2 years ago – Mon, Mar 07, 2022 at 06:46:28 PM

Logistics, Shipping, Pain, and Cards. That summarizes the week.

• Mostly I spent the week working on logistics. Staging roughly four planned shipments: books to the UK, books to Baltimore, books-and-cards to the UK, and books-and-cards to Baltimore. This sets up final fulfillment.
• All the shipping and postage costs are coming in. They’re all really, really high. Something like 65-75% cost overrun because of things just being darn expensive. Shipping is going to likely run a third more than total print costs.
• I did plan for this overrun and will cover it almost exactly, but it puts me in a tight spot already in 2022. I have an idea for this.
• In the “good news” department, I asked my card vendor for an update on status, and the update arrived: “They’re done.” Well, well. So I went and got them (the vendor is local).
• I also heard that the first advance copies of the hardcover book should be coming off the press and in the mail to me in a week or so. Hopefully they’ll arrive and be as pretty as they should be.
• Next week is going to be very stressful, as it’s time to finalize logistics.

Gaming Ballistic Patreon

To help with ongoing funding of art and speed eventual time to delivery, Gaming Ballistic started a Patreon in January 2021. Here’s the weekly update on Patreon status.

• Membership status: 62 patrons and $488 per month.
• Special Content: Fiscal report card for 2021 from GB, so a look under the hood.

Total losses of three patrons and about $20 per month in subscriptions. Alas.

Gaming Ballistic in Media

• Unboxing video for Bestiary quick reference cards

Currently Manufacturing/Fulfilling/Shipping

Projects where hardcopies and PDFs are going out or scheduled to do so.

Nordlondr Ovinabokin: Bestiary

• VTT module is in the works
• QR cards are done and awaiting finalization of distribution.
• First copies of hardback book expected March 7/8; 5-6 advance copies should be on their way to me shortly thereafter.
• VTT Module being worked by Nick and Nose and I’m helping when they ask

Crowdfunding and Product Launches

The Bestiary Kickstarter is in the fulfillment stage

I need to start planning The Next Thing.

I … may need to stage a special sales event to see if I can help defray shipping and manufacturing overruns. Someone (a Patreon subscriber) suggested a Tip Jar; I’m uncomfortable with that. But for those who might have paused in getting the Bestiary, or for retail outlets that can see the quality in the book and want to carry my line, or folks who might have a hole in their library that needs filling with GB PDFs (worldwide) and print products (USA only for this purpose) … this might be something that would really help 2022 start right.

Product Announcements

The full Product Catalog has been updated for Spring 2022. It now includes Delvers to Grow, Tower of the Moon, and the Nordlond Bestiary. Any pre-orders for the Bestiary will be filled roughly April 2022, once the shipment comes in.

In Development

Writing and content creation for announced projects. Some of this may be cryptic.

• Inns and Taverns, by Marshall LaPira. Systemless. Revised tavern submitted on Nov 11, returned with comments in early November. Poked author recently on progress now that Bestiary is in finalization.
• Two Warring Houses, by Douglas Cole. Systemless. Actually saw some writing over Valentine’s Day.
• Nordlondr Bestiary, by Douglas Cole. Dungeon Fantasy RPG. See above, workin’ hard.
• Secret Stuff: I’m in communication with other authors and working on my own ideas for 2022. Now that Bestiary is in the final stages, more of my time needs to go to creating new things.

Friction

Bits of news and items that put a monkey in the wrench.

• Logistics of this project really suck, and manufacturing and (especially) shipping together are likely to run something like $5,000 over budget. And I had a big budget. So I thought.
• I suspect it may even be worse than that, because not only are we still in Pandemic mode, we have a war being waged in the Ukraine with petroleum as one of the chapter tabs. Taxes (VAT) and duties remain a moving target.
• I am almost certainly going to bag it on trying to offer nice friendly DDP (Delivery Duties Paid) in the future because I always, always lose thousands of dollars on it. I know this sucks. But I CAN predict postage; I cannot predict taxes, duties, and fees and no vendor really wants to estimate them for me.
• A Patreon subscriber suggested I put up a tip jar for backers who want to contribute to the shipping shortfall. I thought that was interesting, but I don’t really like it, because planning is on me. Still: $5K (or more) is no joke. So I’m likely to have a “Spring Sales Event” where folks can get my stuff physically in the USA, PDFs overseas (because piling more international shipping on the fire is NOT reducing my burden), and if they want to contribute to shipping woes, can do so. The overall goal here is staged: At minimum, offset the cost overruns by trying to move about $5,000 in stuff. At BEST, I really need to increase my working capital for my business from $10,000 to $22,000, so the upper end of the sale for success would be about $17,000. I do not expect to reach that goal, because that would simply be astounding. But it’s not impossible, largely because there are these things called “retail orders” that really help me out. So…even if you have my stuff, maybe you could stop in at your Favorite Local Game Store and give them my catalog?

Fair Winds

Information about things that move GB forward.

• Getting the cards in hand really took the guesswork out of my pre-staging. The cards are heavy and bulky, but they fit great into the box. Knowing that I can just weigh the stuff makes it a lot easier. It won’t be one box, it’ll be two, but that’s IT and I know how much each will weigh.
• The first books come off the printing press…maybe tomorrow? So it’s likely that I’ll have a hardcopy Bestiary in my hands by the next weekly update. This is awesome.
• I played in a GAME!! I joined a pirates and privateers game, set in TL4 or so, playing a modified version of a character similar to John Blackthorne from Shogun. A navigator, pilot, and ship-builder, with a solid chunk of merchant and combat skills. It’s 400 points, so the characters are very, very capable. It’s a fun game so far, and already giving me ideas for expansions for Mission X.

Actual Play, Ballistic's Report, Bestiary and Enemies Book, Gaming Ballistic LLC, GURPS, Play Aids and Commentary, RPG Systems, Systemless Support, The DFRPG, The Fantasy Trip, Tower of the Moon

Prior updates:

Ballistic’s Report for Week Ending Feb 25, 2022

Ballistic’s Report for Week Ending Feb 11, 2022

Ballistic’s Report for Week Ending Feb 4, 2022